Haze
by forensicsfan
Summary: Sara's in the hospital with pneumonia, who is it that's been sitting by her side?


Disclaimer: Don't own them, didn't create them, don't profit from them, etc. They idea for the story was inspired by my own medicated haze when I had pneumonia.  
  
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing.  
  
*************  
  
Sara couldn't figure out where she was; the last thing she remembered was that she had been standing in the break room getting a cup of coffee. She felt foggy and could swear that the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz were hovering over her. Inwardly she cursed at herself for watching that movie obsessively as a kid.  
  
She tried to orient herself, but she couldn't open her eyes, she was too tired and her chest hurt, or rather her lungs did. It hurt to breathe. She felt something soft being placed into her arms and she hugged it to her body as she felt herself drift off into a deep sleep.  
  
**********  
  
He didn't care if he'd just worked an entire shift and a half. He was worried about her and he just wanted to make sure he was there for her. She worked herself too hard and someone needed to take care of her. He wanted to be the one to take care of her. So he sat in the chair next to her bed, sleeping in spurts, waking at any little noise. When he'd had to leave to go to work that first night, he'd bought her a stuffed panda so she'd know that someone cared about her. She'd told him once that she loved giant pandas, and had just never made the time to go to San Diego to see them at the zoo. Maybe when she was feeling better, he'd take her there to see them. She was a hell of a CSI, but she worked too hard.  
  
***********  
  
She wasn't sure how much later it was, but her eyes fluttered open and by the sterile looking walls, she guessed that she was in the hospital, but she wasn't sure how she got there or why. She was aware that she held something in her arms and she glanced down. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she realized it was a stuffed giant panda. She didn't know where it came from, she loved pandas, and at the moment she couldn't remember if she'd ever told anyone that. If she had, maybe who ever that was had brought it to her.  
  
Oh, she was so tired, and she felt herself drifting back to sleep.  
  
***********  
  
They had been working so hard on this case and he'd known she wasn't feeling well, he'd just not known how sick she was. If he'd known, he would have insisted working the case alone and made her go home and get some rest. Although he knew deep down that she would have still come to work. Making Sara do anything she didn't want to was like trying to catch a hurricane in a Dixie cup. He felt guilty for not noticing how sick she was and that thought drove him to work this case even harder. As soon as he finished shift, he came back to the hospital to see her, hoping that the doctors would reduce the medication they had her on so she'd wake up and he could talk to her.  
  
************  
  
Sara's eyes fluttered open again. She glanced around the room. She was alone. She looked down at the stuffed panda in her arms and smiled. She was feeling a little better, but she was still exhausted. She heard the door creak open and a nurse walked in.  
  
The 40ish black woman smiled at her. "You're awake." She walked over and checked on Sara's IV. "I'm Kelly, and you've been pretty out of it the last two days."  
  
"Two days?" Sara couldn't believe she'd been here that long.  
  
Kelly nodded. "You really shouldn't try and talk. You've got pneumonia and you need to let your lungs rest."  
  
Sara nodded. That explained why her chest hurt so much. "How did I get here?"  
  
Kelly smiled at her. The things she'd heard from the man who'd been sitting by her bed were true. She was stubborn. "I understand you passed out at work and they brought you in."  
  
Sara suddenly felt worried. Work. She couldn't even remember what case she'd been working on and right now, she didn't even care. She must be sick if she didn't care.  
  
"You want anything? A movie? A book? Magazine?" She looked at Sara questioningly.  
  
Sara just shook her head. She glanced down at the panda and then at Kelly with a curious expression.  
  
Kelly smiled. "He brought it. He didn't want you to be alone when he was at work. He'll be back. He's been sleeping in that chair waiting for you to wake up."  
  
Sara nodded and wondered who Kelly was talking about. Who would spend their time off sitting in a chair watching her sleep? Well, she was tired again and she closed her eyes.  
  
"Do you think you want to try and eat something?" Kelly knew that the sooner Sara started eating again, the sooner she'd be well enough to go home.  
  
Sara nodded. She knew that she hadn't eaten solid food in two days and she needed something if she was going to start feeling better. Sara felt herself drifting off to sleep again.  
  
*************  
  
He watched her sleep as worry furrowed his brow. The nurse said she had woken up. That offered him a little relief. He held her hand as she slept, hoping that she knew how important she was to him, how he had panicked when she'd passed out in front of him. The rest of the team was almost as worried about him as they had been about her when he'd started crying when she wouldn't wake up after she'd passed out on the break room floor. He'd held her in his arms until the paramedics had arrived and he had insisted on riding to the hospital in the ambulance with her. Her vital signs were fairly strong, but it hadn't stopped him from worrying.  
  
************  
  
When she woke up again, her brain registered someone sitting in the chair next to the bed.  
  
Catherine smiled at her much the way Sara assumed she would smile at Lindsey if she were sick. "Hey, Sara, how are you feeling?"  
  
"We've been worried about you girl, you've been asleep almost three days." That was Warrick's voice, but where was Warrick? Sara glanced over and saw him leaning against the wall behind the chair Catherine sat in.  
  
She smiled at her two coworkers. "Hey." She wondered if either of them had brought her the panda, but Kelly had said 'he' and for some reason, she didn't think Warrick would have done that. "What happened?"  
  
Catherine reached over and patted her arm. "You passed out."  
  
"The nurse said I have pneumonia." Sara spoke hoarsely.  
  
Warrick chuckled softly. "Yeah, you do. You need to get some rest. We just wanted to check on you. The hospital called and said you'd woken up."  
  
Sara nodded. "Where's everyone else?"  
  
"Working. They should be stopping by pretty soon. We had a lull in our case though and we wanted to check on you." Catherine smiled and then whispered conspiratorially. "We brought you some flowers and a couple of trashy romance novels to read in case you get bored."  
  
Warrick scoffed and grinned at Sara. "The novels were her idea. The flowers were mine."  
  
Catherine laughed over her shoulder at Warrick. "Only after I vetoed your idea for a GameBoy."  
  
Sara smiled as she looked at her friends. "Thanks."  
  
Catherine stood and smiled at Sara, reaching over and giving her hand a squeeze. "We should get back. Looks like the nurse brought you some Jell- O. Let me know if you want real food, I'm sure we can smuggle something in."  
  
Warrick walked over and gave Sara a kiss on her forehead before he and Catherine left so she could get some rest. She pushed the control on the bed to elevate herself so she could eat. As she did, she felt dizzy and lay her head back for a few moments until she felt a little less light headed. It didn't take long to finish off the Jell-O and then she felt herself becoming overcome by fatigue again, and gave in to sleep.  
  
**************  
  
He knew that when she woke up, he was going to have to tell her. He didn't know how she would react, but he had to tell her how he felt about watching her looking so lifeless as he screamed for someone to call for help. He had felt like his heart had been ripped out and time had seemed to stand still in the moments it took for someone to respond. He had cradled her and begged her to be ok. Warrick had to pull him away from her as the paramedics arrived. He hadn't gotten much sleep over the last few days and he looked like it. The nurses had offered to bring in a cot so he could sleep, but he refused, insisting on sitting in that chair holding her hand until he could see her wake up with his own eyes.  
  
**************  
  
Voices pulled her out of a dreamy fog and as her eyes fluttered open, she realized that Grissom and Greg were chatting about the specifics of back dating time of death based on insect development. It took them both a minute until they realized that Sara had woken up.  
  
Greg was grinning widely at her. "Sara, how are you?"  
  
She couldn't help but offer him a soft smile in return. "Hey."  
  
Grissom looked concerned. "Are you feeling any better?"  
  
"A little. I am so tired." Sara absentmindedly hugged the stuffed panda.  
  
"You're probably tired because of what they've got in the IV drip." Grissom was always the scientist first.  
  
She nodded. That made sense to her. Normally, she got by on three or four hours of sleep. The fact that it seemed she'd slept the better part of two maybe three days floored her. And she was still tired.  
  
"I brought you a teddy bear, but I think it might be too big to sit on the bed with you." Greg held up a giant teddy bear that rivaled the size of a baby elephant.  
  
Mentally, Sara checked Greg off the list of who ever was responsible for bringing her the panda. When Greg did things, he didn't hold back. Who ever brought her the panda was being subtle.  
  
"Uh, I brought you a jade plant. I know how you like living things and these tend to live a very long time." Grissom sounded worried. Things between them had been a bit strained since the lab explosion, but his concern for her seemed genuine.  
  
"Thanks." She was they were there, but she couldn't get over how tired she was. "You'd think with all the sleep I've had I wouldn't be this tired."  
  
Grissom glanced at Greg before turning back to Sara. "We should probably let you rest."  
  
"Ok." Sara felt like she could sleep forever, but her chest didn't hurt nearly as bad as it had before.  
  
"I hope you feel better, Sara." Greg sounded concerned.  
  
"Thanks." She felt herself drifting off to sleep again even as she heard Grissom and Greg leave.  
  
*************  
  
Everyone said she'd woken up and they'd talked to her, he still hadn't seen it. He finally had decided at the insistence of everyone else to take some time off. He really wasn't doing anyone any good by insisting on working and worrying about Sara, and now that he had the next few days off, he wouldn't have to leave her until he could tell her how he felt.  
  
************  
  
She wasn't sure how much later it was, but she felt someone holding her hand and stroking her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open and it took her a moment before she realized who was sitting there. A faint smile spread across her face as she whispered. "Nick."  
  
A grin as broad as his native Texas spread across his face. "Hey, it's good to see you awake." A warmth seemed to infuse his drawl.  
  
She closed her eyes for a moment and then met his concerned gaze. "Shouldn't you be at home sleeping?"  
  
He shook his head. "I'm right where I need to be." He lightly caressed the back of her hand with his thumb.  
  
She smiled a little bigger as she fingered the stuffed panda. "Did you bring me this?"  
  
He nodded, trying to restrain his grin. "I remember how you said you loved them. I just didn't want you laying here by yourself wondering if anyone cared."  
  
"Thanks." Sara realized he was still holding her hand and that she was glad. "What happened?"  
  
Nick furrowed his brow. "Damn, Sara, you worried the hell out of me. One minute we're standing there getting coffee talking about the case, and then you turned white as a sheet, dropped your coffee on the floor, and passed out. You said you weren't feeling very good, but I had no idea then that you were this sick. If I'd known, I would have worked the case alone and made you go home and take care of yourself."  
  
Sara squeezed his hand. "I'm sure I wouldn't have told anyone I was feeling this bad."  
  
Nick chuckled softly. "You are stubborn, Sidle."  
  
"So are you." Sara sounded slightly amused. "I hear you've been sleeping in that chair."  
  
A little color infused Nick's cheeks and he tried to change the subject. "Feel like eating something? The nurse brought some Jell-O."  
  
Sara nodded. "Yeah, the sooner I graduate to something solid to eat, the sooner I'll feel better." She ate slowly and studied Nick who couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her.  
  
When she was done, Nick reached over and took her hand again. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Tired." She smiled at him and turned onto her side so she faced him as he sat on the edge of the chair.  
  
"Do you want to put the bed back down? Do you need to go back to sleep? Should I get the nurse?" Nick looked worried.  
  
She squeezed his hand. "Nick, stop. I'm just tired; I don't need a trauma surgeon."  
  
He chuckled slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you, Sar."  
  
She smiled and let out a sigh. "I know, but I'll be fine. I just need lots of rest apparently."  
  
"You want me to get you anything?" Nick felt a little helpless.  
  
She shook her head. "Just sit with me."  
  
And that's what he did until he started to drift off to sleep in the chair, his chin resting against his chest. Sara knew he was tired and that he really needed better sleep than he was getting sitting in that chair. She also knew that to try and argue with him was pointless. So she watched him sleep until she drifted off to sleep herself.  
  
***********  
  
Kelly came in a short time later to check on Sara. She tiptoed quietly as she removed the food tray with the empty Jell-O dish. She smiled as she watched Nick stir in his sleep, shifting his weight toward the bed, as he rested his head on his arm. His hand never let go of Sara's.  
  
**********  
  
The next time Sara woke up, she noticed that Nick rested his head on his arm on the bed and that he still held her hand. A smile played across her lips. She knew that Nick cared for her, but the fact that he'd been there for her showed her the depth of his feelings for her. She knew she cared for him, but seeing him like this stirred something deeper in her. She reached over and stroked his hair as he slept.  
  
Nick's eyes opened slowly and he realized that Sara was awake. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but he realized he still hadn't told her and he knew he needed to. He lifted his head to see her watching him. A sleepy smile spread across his face. "Hey."  
  
She smiled back at him. "Hey."  
  
"I fell asleep." He yawned.  
  
"I did too." Sara studied him.  
  
Nick furrowed his brow and squeezed her hand. "I wanted to tell you something."  
  
Sara looked at him expectantly.  
  
He looked at her so seriously. "When you passed out, Sara, I freaked out. I realized that I couldn't wait to tell you, that I couldn't take the chance that I'd never get the chance."  
  
She reached out and traced his furrowed brow with her fingers. "What is it?"  
  
Nick squeezed her hand and looked her in the eye. "I love you. I've loved you for so long, and I've never had the courage to tell you. I understand if you don't feel the same way, but I had to tell you."  
  
Sara smiled softly. "I know."  
  
Nick looked surprised. "How did you know?"  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him. "I know you. I didn't realize that I knew until I found out you'd been sleeping in that chair since I've been in here."  
  
Nick looked at her earnestly. "It's true, Sara, I love you."  
  
Sara smiled and squeezed his hand. "I love you too, Nick." 


End file.
